This recipe is from lorraine Pascale. She really does comfort food with a twist and a lot of taste.

Take pride in picking your pork chops… we’ve all experienced those ones that cook down to about half the size and are really chewy! Not that we spent any more money – we still bought humble Tesco pork chops, just made sure they were a decent size and thickness.

We’ve made this a couple of times, this time we made buttery mash rather than mustard mash. Either is great, as it’s the apple, shallot and cider sauce that really steals the show! We always use Aspalls Cider, and it’s nice you have a glass left for yourself at the end too.

Yes, this is quite sweet, but it all blends together so well that you’ll relish every mouthful!

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This is quite a thrifty little meal from Lorraine Pascale! It always goes so much further than you expect. In fact – I have some packed up for my lunch tomorrow!

I would definitely recommend making your own pesto – you can really taste the difference. It’s so much fresher, thicker and has a more vibrant colour to it. Saying that, we have made this with bought pesto too, and even red pesto to change it up. So if you’re strapped for time it is always an option.

We have never managed to make this with just one large tomato… let’s just say Lorraine must chop hers extremely thin! So buy a couple, or a pack… and for a laugh see how far you can get one to go!

Served with a salad made from the left over spinach and pine nuts with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, this is a tasty little dish which goes a very long way. Dead easy to make with shop bought filo pastry (and pesto if you really want), plus kind to your wallet – you really can’t go wrong!

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It seems everything is better with chorizo! And what better spice to serve it with than paprika. We’re back to Loraine Pascale for this one, and you can find the recipe here.

We decided to serve it with sweet potato wedges which were perfect for mopping up all the delicious juices. Plus you can’t beat the flavour of vine tomatoes. This really is as quick and easy as the recipe states- the only thing that takes time is making sweet potato wedges (if you choose to make them)!

We also made a version without the chorizo- replacing it with peppers so that it was suitable for the Juice Plus diet. And I have to say that the plate looked really colourful!

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Tonight was shopping night- haul ourselves to Tesco in the cold night.

We always need a quick meal on shopping nights, and tonights was another favourite from Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Home Cooking made Easy’. Although this is made quicker by our food processor!

For the crust you need 100g bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tbsp soft light brown sugar, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, knob of butter, grated zest of 2-3 limes, 1 bunch of fresh parsley and seasoning. Literally mix this all together and top your salmon with it! Place in the oven for 10-15mins at 200 degs C.

Served with mint and lemon new potatoes… a tasty little side idea that I stole from my sister at the weekend! And a warm leak, pea and spinach salad, this was a really welcomed meal!

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After nearly falling asleep on the tube home, these tasty little burgers have perked me up again! This is another recipe from Lorraine Pascale’s book- Home Cooking Made Easy, and one we have made a few times now. The cucumber and mint yoghurt makes a lovely sauce, far better than a dollop of mayo… and that is coming from quite a mayo fan!

Lorraine stays true to her word, this really is easy, and even better – it’s quick!

We served these with courgette fries, made from a coating of parmesan and almond crumbs and left to cook for half an hour. We’ve gradually upped the time on these and think we’ve peaked at 30 minutes! We decided against buns as in the past they have just overdone it… plus surely it’s more healthy without all those carbs?!

We tend to buy a joint of lamb as it’s more readily available at our local store, and we pop it in the slow cooker. The first time we let the lamb cook until it slid off the bone, but tonight we carved it after 3 and a half hours and added it back to the sauce to reduce over the hob. I think we definitely preferred tonight’s take!

Served with the not so healthy buttery mash it’s a great dish to ease you into Autumn. And don’t forget to finish off that bottle of Rioja!